Know Your Rights: Intimate Partner Violence & Employment Discrimation

California law protects survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and/or stalking in many different ways. Of note, the following is a list of protections that are enforceable only if the complaint is filed within one year of the date of violation.

If you are a victim of intimate partner violence and/or stalking, your employer cannot fire you or discriminate against you:

for taking time off from work to ensure safety: “to obtain or attempt to obtain relief to help ensure his or her health, safety, or welfare, or that of his or her child(ren)” Labor Code section 230 (c)

for your statusas a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, and/or stalking, “if the victim provides notice to the employer of the status or the employer has actual knowledge of the status” Labor Code section 230 (e)

for taking time off to seek medical attention: if you work for an employer with 25 or more employees: “to obtain services from a domestic violence program or psychological counseling, or to participate in safety planning” Labor Code section 230.1

Also, you have the right to feel safe while at work: “An employer of any size shall provide reasonable accommodations for a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, and/or stalking who requests an accommodation for the safety of the victim while at work” Labor Code Section 230 (f).

If you have questions about your rights as a survivor of intimate partner violence or you’d like to know about your options, please call our toll free hotline, 24 hours a day: 888-385-4657.